Lives Filled With Love
by bobbingformangos
Summary: Earning her a nose crinkle and nuzzle when Regina turned her face into the blonde's heart. But Emma nuzzled her again getting the sleepy eyes back on her. She smiled gently. Lovingly.


_scenes of a simply, joyful happiness. all within the moment, right there, these two. i got emotional over this. _

**_unedited._**

* * *

They named her Cordelia because at some point in Regina's life, albeit a small point, her mother loved her.

To honor that love, Regina wanted to name her daughter Cordelia.

Emma understood it.

Encouraged it.

And the moment the little girl slide out of Regina into Emma's hands, Emma looked at the little baby with love and curiosity and before handing the slippery baby to her other mother, Emma leaned down and kissed the baby's forehead. She whispered a promise, "You'll always be enough."

And to Regina and Emma, she was.

To Regina, when she looked down at her small, vernix covered angel suckling at her breast, Cordelia was everything good that had slipped through her fingers.

It was the universe bringing it back to her.

Placing the baby against her heart.

And when Cordelia looked up at her - the universe whispered, "Don't let her slip out, hold her close."

Emma heard it.

The universe's plea.

For she knew the same feeling.

And so it was easy, climbing into the bed in the room lit by the midmorning light, and bringing the two into her arms.

Emma held the world in her arms that morning. Turning her head to nuzzle it into Regina's sweat soaked neck and leaving small kisses as Cordelia sucked greedily.

They didn't say words.

Just appreciated the moment.

Took it all in.

Until Cordelia popped off the nipple with a gurgle and belly laughs erupted from the mother's mouths.

* * *

It was easy for her to let Emma hold the infant close to her bare chest.

She expected to be more possessive of the child, like she had been with Henry.

He was her prince, after all.

The woman didn't want anyone to touch him when he was tiny.

When he, too, could have slipped through her fingers.

But the moment that Emma situated herself next to them on the bed after all the birth was delivered and she was cleaned up, after the babe finished nursing and snuggling, Regina whispered for the blonde to strip herself of her tank top so that she was only in her black bra.

And Regina, with all the love and trust in the world, laid the baby against Emma's chest.

Cordelia's small face pressed into her Ma's heart and her little fists coming up to clutch onto the milky skin, and there was milk around the babes pressed lips that made Emma smile.

And then Regina affectionately laid a gentle kiss on Cordelia's downy head filled with dark brown curls before lifting up, looking into Emma's eyes, and pressing a light kiss on her lips.

"You're enough," the former queen, once considered evil, pressed all her love into those words as they slide across Emma's face and down her throat to lodge them into her heart.

Because Emma, too, needed to know that she was enough.

For she had fears and concerns and doubts.

Emma was her own downfall.

Her fear of never being worthy of love, not being good enough.

It was paralyzing.

Her walls slowly were dismantled and rebuilt and dismantled over the last year.

Regina, just as patient with Emma as the blonde was with her, working tirelessly to break down the steel walls.

And the moment that Regina whispered those words, that reassurance, Emma knew that the woman knew her in many ways that she never realized before.

It was Regina's final hurdle, final wall that she had to destroy.

And she destroyed the final wall keeping Emma's heart from entangling with her own.

It was a beautiful moment.

One filled with a blinding light and would one day be commemorated with gold thread.

For their fears were broken and all that was left was love and understanding between the two women.

That's when Cordelia let out her first wail.

And like any new parents, smiles crossed their faces and Regina leaned down to kiss the fussy babe's head once more before slowly standing up.

Emma's hand found Cordelia's back and rubbed smooth circles in the skin, rubbing in the white substance on the baby's skin as she watched Regina with a fond smile.

Regina was tentative in her steps, always looking back at the blonde and babe before heading towards the door. She pulled up the sleeve of her robe to lazily cover her chest, but not giving it too much mind.

Her thighs was still coated with dried fluid and her nipples with dried milk and her lips still felt the press of Emma's - she was in a simple heaven and paid no major amount of attention to her appearance.

Regina felt beautiful and loved.

She opened the door and called out, voice throaty and light, "She's here."

And despite the lowness to her voice, they heard it.

Their bare feet on the wooden steps were music to the new parent's ears and Regina had slowly settled back into the bed when their son was the first to make his appearance.

And then, like tulips blooming in the spring, Mary Margaret, David (carrying a small, green Evie in his arms), Ruby, Granny, and even fucking Hook and some dwarves ended up crowding in the room.

There were others, but Regina didn't mind.

Nor did Emma.

The mother's cuddled close, body to body, Regina's chin resting on Emma's shoulder and looking down at the little baby whose eyes were darting around as her lips pressed in and out with wonder.

"She's awake," Henry mumbled, coming close to the bed but not climbing on, scared.

The awkward preteen now a teenage boy with an appreciation for his mothers and a deep love and protective streak for the tiny baby in his Ma's arms.

Emma nodded with a love induced smile, meeting her son's eyes, "She is. Come on this side, cuddle up with us."

Emma needed her family close.

Her body begged for it.

And Regina, turning her eyes up to see the tears in the corner of the blonde's eyes, would never deny it.

She turned her gaze, cuddling closer into the woman and putting her hand on top of Emma's on Cordelia's back, to Snow, "Come and look at her - she's perfect."

It wasn't a snide remark - one to compare her new child with Snow's cursed one - but one of complete amazement and disbelief.

Something that once was considered evil had created something so pure, so good.

And Snow understood as she looked at them with a watery smile.

Understanding and love falling into her bloodstream as she felt the deep connection to her daughter, the daughter that she had lost and given up and had only now begun to repair the relationship with. She felt that love and worth and acceptance that woman was feeling and it made Snow's heart feel with joy.

No longer was she sad or jealous that she couldn't give that to Emma - that as a mother, she wasn't able to feed the blonde with all she needed.

Snow was thankful.

Thankful that she found what she needed in Regina.

And then, as the connection tugged, she felt the tiny baby in her heart and the warmth settling in her chest and she imagined apple blossoms blooming and the sun shining and the world coming to a halt so that the entire room could appreciate this small, new life.

She kneeled on the bed, like a child, tentative, before slowly scooting closer so that she was at Regina's knees. Her knees pressed into the other woman's, two queens coming together in understanding and acceptance of each other, as she met Regina's eyes before her daughter's and finally, her eyes settled on Cordelia's.

The thought was quick, flittering to the former teacher, but she noticed how the little girl already had color to the usually grey newborn eyes.

Heterochromia.

Sea green and whiskey brown.

"You're the perfect mix of your mothers, dear one," Snow whispered, leaning forward to kiss the smooth, new shoulder above the mother's hands.

And, in many ways, it felt like she was kissing peace.

* * *

It seemed like the entire town of Storybrooke was laying on any available surface in Regina and Emma's bedroom.

It's only been a handful of hours since the birth, but everyone has settled in and it was family and both Regina and Emma was soaking it all up.

They laid in the bed, backs agains that headboard with their son cuddled between them, shirt off, and baby against his chest.

Their hands on the baby's back.

Snow was at the end of the bed, Charming on his knees leaning on the mattress next to his eldest daughter and patting her yoga pant clad leg, and Evie asleep across Regina's knees.

Ruby grinned at the family, snapping a photo every once and a while while Hook fiddled with the radio on the computer finding soothing bluegrass music to fill the room - causing everyone to smile briefly at the sounds of a banjo and fiddle.

A moment to remind them of the gift of living and being together and just being there.

At some point the baby started to gurgle against Henry's chest and tried to suck his collarbone which confused the boy, causing laughs from everywhere around him.

"She's just hungry, kid," Emma laughed.

Henry cocked an eyebrow down at the baby as he asked to anyone who would answer, his mothers still not able to get over how deep his voice had gotten, "So how do I feed her."

Charming laughed and shook his head, reaching over to pat his grandson's knee, "You don't and honestly, seeing what your grandma goes through, you probably don't want to."

Regina clucked her tongue at charming as she gingerly picked up the curled up little thing and cradled her against her chest, sliding open her robe to allow Cordelia to latch on. "Seriously, Charming, it's quite easy."

He rolled his eyes fondly at the woman but settled back in.

He watched his family.

His entire family.

Like all of them, this was everything that he had ever wanted.

Back when he was a shepherd with a mother who loved him to the moon and back.

"Em," his voice was so gentle and soft, similar to the one he whispered to Evie with. "I know you guys named her Cordelia, after Cora, but what about a middle name?"

Emma looked at her father, dragging her eyes away from Regina and the baby. "We haven't decided yet."

Snow's head picked up, looking to her husband, seeing where he was going with this.

He looked down at his hands resting on Emma and Henry's knees. His breathing was deeper and the entire room was quiet, the music the only noise accompanying his words. He looked back up at Emma with teary eyes, "When we found out about you, we were going to name you Emma Ruth, after your grandmother, my mother."

He paused for a moment, choking on his tears.

And Snow reached over to put a hand on her husbands shoulder and looked at her daughter with dreamy eyes that told the blonde stories of just how much her parents loved her and would have raised her.

Sometimes if Emma looked deep enough, she could see herself as a little girl running through rolling hills of green in fancy dresses and hair tied back in ribbons.

Snow spoke up while Charming got a hold of his voice, "She gave her life up for you, you know?"

Emma's eyes got wide and Henry and Regina turned to look at Snow and then Emma.

The small family's heard reaching forward to hear more.

Snow smiled a watery smile at the blonde, "She was dying and instead of drinking water that would cure her - she gave it to me so that you could be born."

Charming nodded quickly, looking up and meeting his daughter's eyes with his own teary ones. Then he glanced at Regina and then back at Emma. His voice caught many times as he pushed out, "But you never got her name and, well, I was wondering…"

It was so unlike him to not be able to get words out.

"Cordelia Ruth is very fitting, Charming," Regina offered, heart extending to the man who helped give her the world - her world that was Emma and Henry and Cordelia. "Don't you think, darling?"

Emma's let out a small breath of air and she nodded, tears coming down, before she reached for her father's hand and looking at him, "It's perfect, Dad."

And it was.

* * *

"Here's some water for Regina," Ruby said, handing the glass water bottle to the tired mother. A handful of hours has turned to two handful of hours and the room was now lit with candles and people were resting in their respective places.

Belle read stories allowed from her spot next to the bed, Henry moving so he was closer with Evie in his lap.

Hook had found Emma's guitar and was strumming it from his seat in a chair in the corner.

Others lounging around or cleaning up random parts of the house or cooking dinners in the kitchen that can be frozen for the young family.

But the close family, those dear to Emma and Regina, were right there in that room.

"Hot Cocoa for Emma," Ruby said, passing the room temperature drink to the tired blonde to sip at as she turned to pick up two bowls filled with a ginger and honey cake. "Granny said this was good for new momma's. Something about uterus and milk or whatever. It's good and that's all that matters to me."

Regina grinned and nodded her thanks, passing one bowl to Emma and motioning for Ruby to sit the other on the table. "Thank you Ruby, how about you get some rest. You've done so much, dear."

Her voice was tired.

Exhausted.

Body catching up.

Drifting.

She gave the young brunette a lazy smile before turning toward Emma, who was forking a piece of cake between her lips causing the queen to give her an affectionate smile.

Emma's behavior now endearing.

"Bite?" The queen asked, opening her mouth and letting the blonde fork a bite into her mouth, moaning at the sweet and tangy taste, causing the baby to squirm closer to her breast.

* * *

Emma woke up in the middle of the night with the baby on her chest. Cordelia hasn't left their arms for the last twelve or so hours since she was born and there was magic in that.

Regina had curled into her side with her head on Emma's heart and her face moments away from Cordelia's.

Belle was still reading softly and Henry was barely hanging on.

Snow was asleep at the end of the bed and Charming laid on the floor next to the bed.

The green toddler spread across Emma and Regina's legs.

There was a weight in the room.

Something breathable and comforting.

A reminder of all that they had and just how much they have fought for it.

Blood and lives and death and hurt and hopelessness.

It all lead to right here.

Emma turned to kiss Regina's hair, then her forehead, rousing the older woman for a moment who looked up at her with sleepy eyes.

Emma smiled at her, softly, and leaned forward to kiss Regina's nose.

Earning her a nose crinkle and nuzzle when Regina turned her face into the blonde's heart.

But Emma nuzzled her again getting the sleepy eyes back on her.

She smiled gently.

Lovingly.

And pressed her lips forward.

Regina couldn't fight the warmth bubbling in her stomach and leaned forward to press a kiss to Emma's lips.

"I love you," they rushed out in whispers.

It sounded like a promise.

And a hope.

Emma and Regina were worthy of love.

They were two stars who deserved it.

And finally, after so many years, they got it.

And gave it just as easily.

This is what a happy ending looked like.

Moments of happiness breaking up the chaos of their days.

Moments of gentle touches and belly laughter and gurgling babies.

Moments of community and sass and acceptance.

And lives filled with love.


End file.
